KENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY  -- RESEARCH   Studying and sharing Kent's past      Homepage

The Roman Pottery of Kent by Dr Richard J. Pollard  -  Chapter 4  page 92
Doctoral thesis completed in 1982, published 1988

recurved-rim colour coated beakers (Hull 1963, Forms 391 and 396, fig. 58, nos. 16 and 18) and on buff pedestal-vases from the vicinity of kilns at Colchester (Hull 1963, Form 207, fig. 71, nos. 6-7; Mucking produced grey ware versions of this form: Jones and Rodwell 1973, Type N). Diamond-rouletting has not been seen in Kent, and only two examples of roller-stamping have been recorded, at Lullingstone (Pollard 1987, fig. 86, no. 408) and Springhead (unpublished). These motifs are absent from the Billericay kiln material. The hypothesis of quite discrete distribution areas for the products of different groups of kilns in north Kent and southern Essex may be proposed on the evidence of these motifs. That of the Cliffe peninsula appears to have taken in the Medway and Darent valleys and the land between them, with smaller quantities and fewer types being marketed beyond this core area (cf. Figs. 45-48 here) in both west and east Kent. The predominant forms in west and central northern Kent and in southern Essex are the cavetto-rim jar and plain pie-dish in BB2, and the pear-shaped necked roll-rim jar in plain sandy ware.
   Coarse ware mortaria in west Kent of Hadrianic to Severan date are predominantly in fine and sandy white wares, particularly the hook-flanged form with a bead level with the flange top (nos. 116, 118 here), and a form with a near-vertical flange. These were both produced at Colchester (Hull 1963, Forms 497 and 501, respectively), the former in the late Hadrianic-Antonine period, the latter from the later second into the third century. K.F. Hartley's research on mortaria stamps has indicated that products of the Colchester potters of c. A.D. 140-200 were distributed throughout Kent (including New Ash Green, Springhead and Rochester: Hartley 1963; 1972), East Anglia and the Home Counties, as well as in the northern military zone (Hartley 1973a, fig. 7). The hook-flange rim form was also produced at Canterbury, in both white and oxidised wares (Jenkins 1960, no. 21; Kirkman 1940, nos. 

5-10), and possibly at or near Rochester also in white ware (Hartley 1972; nos. 116-118 here). The scarcity of oxidised vessels in west Kent, in comparison with their abundance in east Kent, suggests that the former area drew its supplies mainly from Essex and perhaps local potteries. Cream ware mortaria production is also attested at Grays, Thurrock (Drury 1973) during the period c. A.D. 150-250, but the range of forms has not been published.
The supply of mortaria from the Brockley Hill-Verulamium industry to Kent appears to have ceased during the Hadrianic period, except to sites in the immediate vicinity of Southwark (e.g. Charlton and Greenwich), which contain forms of the mid- to late second century (Charlton: Elliston Erwood 1916, fig. 18, nos. 2 and 3). The loss of the bulk of the Kent market coincided with the eclipse of this industry's trade to the northern military zone by the expanding Mancetter-Hartshill concern (Hartley 1973a, 42). Vertical-flanged 'hammer-head' white sandy mortaria with quartz trituration grit (Gillam 1970, Type 272), possibly from a source in west Surrey (where they are most common: e.g. Hanworth 1968; C. Smith 1977; cf. Hartley 1973a), occur on several sites in contexts of the late second and third centuries (Appendix 3). Other 'hammer-head' (no. 180 here) and triangular-flange vessels, in fine or sandy oxidised ware sometimes with a white wash and flint trituration grit, may have been imported from east Kent in the late second and third centuries. Occasional vessels from the Rhineland industry at Soller, including examples with the stamp of Verecundus, were imported probably during the latter half of the second century (Hartley 1973a); these are in an orange to buff and white sandy fabric with quartz trituration grit, and include thick-horizontal flange (e.g. Bird et a!. 1978b, fig. 218, nos. 1820-1 from Southwark) and hook-flange forms.
   These are virtually the only coarse wares, apart from amphorae, to have reached west Kent

Page 92

Page 91       Back to Chapter 4       Contents Page         Page 93

For details about the advantages of membership of the Kent Archaeological Society   click here

Back to Publications On-line               Back to Research Page            Back to Homepage                 

This site is hosted by nVeracity      Kent Archaeological Society is a registered charity number 223382
© Kent Archaeological Society 2004   
 

This website is constructed by enthusiastic amateurs. Any errors noticed by other researchers will be to gratefully received so
 that we can amend our pages to give an accurate record as possible. Please send details too research@kentarchaeology.org.uk